


Behind His Back

by TheSourFruit



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Anal Sex, Cheating, Infidelity, M/M, Marriage, Modern AU, Sex, really badly written sex scenes whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-04-23 06:10:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSourFruit/pseuds/TheSourFruit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Rhys' marriage was mostly a publicity stunt, and Rhys was fully aware. Jack married a normal man who worked under him, and they have what appears to be an ideal marriage. They are both fairly happy. But one day Rhys meets the man who looks and sounds just like his husband, but is kind and cares for him. Rhys doesn't want to leave his husband, but he feels himself falling hard for Timothy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Very Much in Love

“Okay, ready?” Jack leaned forward on his hands, looming over Rhys. He reached across his body to pull up the comforter that had slid off his shoulder and down his arm. “I don’t got all night.”

Rhys’ three fingers that he had been using to work himself open flexed as he tried to will himself open _just a little bit more_ …

“Uh… Yeah. Ready.”

Jack leaned forward slowly, reaching down with one hand to feel for Rhys’ stretched hole and guide himself in. He slid in easily, with the help of the generous amount of lube he had applied to himself. He was in about halfway when he heard Rhys’ groan of discomfort. “You alright?”

Rhys inhaled sharply, then nodded. “Yeah. I’m good.”

“Okay…” Jack pulled out slowly before pushing back in again, a little further. Rhys’ mouth formed a small “O” as he exhaled slowly and loudly, easing into the feeling.

Jack dropped his head, letting his chin rest on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pumped into his husband. Rhys reached up to pull the blanket back over Jack’s shoulders again before letting his hand fall to his own half-hard dick. He worked it to full length quickly, his fingers gliding easily thanks to the leftover lube from his earlier preparation. He stroked faster, eager to just get it done and over with.

Jack’s forehead dropped to rest on Rhys’ shoulder as he started thrusting faster. He grabbed a bunched handful of sheets at the side of Rhys’ head. He was close. Already.

Rhys pumped his hand as quickly as he could. He was already having trouble keeping his eyes open, and he knew that the sooner this was over, the sooner he could roll over and fall asleep. His hips began to involuntarily lift from the bed to meet his hand as he got closer to his finish. One of Jack’s large hands shot to his hip, holding him still and in place. He suddenly gasped and tightened his grip, eliciting a soft hiss from his partner beneath him. His hips slowed and twitched slightly as he came.

…Already.

Jack sighed loudly and pulled out slowly. Rhys whined and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to focus on just _coming_ already.

“Here, lemme…” Jack’s voice was soft and raspy. Rhys slowed his movements to a halt before pulling his hand away reluctantly. Jack’s rough hand circled around him and began jerking quickly.

“ _Ah!_ ” Rhys reached behind him to grab hold of the headboard in an attempt to steady himself. He pursed his lips, muffling any moans or grunts that might slip out.

Rhys’ back arched off the bed slightly as he _finally_ came. It shot over his abdomen in several long streaks. He sighed and let his eyes fall closed as he felt Jack settle in beside him on the bed. He grabbed a handful of tissues from the nightstand and wiped his torso, cleaning off the remnants of yet another disappointing night. Dropping the tissues into the small bin at his bedside, he rolled over onto his side closed his eyes once more, his whole body suddenly feeling _so heavy_ …

\--

A loud thud from the direction of the bathroom roused Rhys from his sleep. An echoing clatter that meant that Jack had probably dropped a shampoo bottle during his morning shower. He stretched his arm above his head and pointed his toes as his legs straightened fully. He grabbed his phone to check the time, but was distracted by the notification that popped up on the screen.

_Snapchat from jackandrhys._

Rhys groaned as he slid his thumb along the banner, opening the app. He tapped his inbox and opened the picture. It was a photo of him asleep in the bed, his mouth hanging open slightly. Jack loomed above him, eyes gently closed as he kissed Rhys’ temple. The black bar near the bottom of the screen read ‘He always falls asleep first. <3’

Not pictured: the nightly dose of sleeping pills Jack provided him with that always, without fail, knocked him out immediately.

“To help with your insomnia,” Jack had informed him.

“To keep you out of my hair while I work at night,” Rhys had heard.

Rhys slipped out of bed slowly, dragging his feet across the floor until he reached his dresser. He unplugged his mechanical arm from its charging station and turned to watch himself in the mirror as he popped it into place. He rolled his shoulder, bent his elbow, and wiggled his metal fingers.

The loud sound of Jack gargling water and spitting in the shower made Rhys scrunch his nose in disgust. The two of them used to shower together in the mornings, until Rhys had gotten sick of Jack nearly spitting foamy toothpaste all over his feet every day. Rhys had even offered him a compromise: he would help Jack scrub his upper back, where it was difficult to reach, if Jack gave up brushing his teeth in the shower. Rhys thought it sounded like a pretty good deal, but Jack had turned him down and lost his shower partner.

A quick walk to the doorway of the bedroom revealed that Jack had already pinned a copy of his most recent selfie of the two of them on his pinboard, beside a laminated newspaper clipping with a small photo of them holding hands and walking together. The whole board had always been an odd concept to Rhys. It was as if Jack was keeping track of every moment they were seen together. Every date was just another opportunity to show off his normal, run-of-the-mill (yet still attractive) husband. Every snapchat was just another way to show the world their happy, “ideal” marriage.

Jack’s normal marriage and family life showed everyone that he was a family man, just like everybody else. Hyperion’s Handsome Jack is no different from you or me. He was trusted and loved by the public, and Hyperion had never been so successful.

Angel’s pinboard, hanging just to the right of Rhys’, was much the same. Every time Jack took his daughter somewhere, it was photographed. Whether it was done by paparazzi or just bystanders who recognized them, they couldn’t go anywhere without pictures being posted online or in a newspaper or magazine.

The largest picture on Angel’s pinboard was one taken of all three of them at a mini-golf course. In the photo, Jack was leaning on his putter and talking to Rhys and Angel, that famous glowing smile plastered across his face. Rhys was smirking at Jack and holding his putter across his shoulders, and Angel was tucking her hair behind her ear and laughing. That picture was Rhys’ favorite. It had actually been a fun night between the three of them, and it was the closest thing to a happy family photo they had. When it had originally been posted, however, it was under the headline “Handsome Jack’s Daughter’s Rebellious New Hairstyle” in a celebrity gossip magazine. It was the first day she had gotten her new hairdo, dyed black and shaved on the right side of her head.

Angel had just come home from a weekend spent at her mother’s house, and she walked through the door warily, looking around nervously as though she was unsure of how they would react. Jack had been chatting away on his phone, holding it between his ear and shoulder as he scrolled through work files on his tablet. He’d glanced at his daughter, mumbled a quick, “This is cute,” and patted her on the head before heading upstairs.

Angel had sighed and plopped down in a seat at the kitchen table, across from where Rhys was sitting. He smiled widely at her. “You look _awesome._ ”

She’d offered him a shy grin. “My mom hates it. She actually _gasped_ when she saw it.” She shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I don’t have to keep it, if I don’t like it.”

“Well, I guess that’s entirely up you, but I like it. It suits you.”

Rhys shook his head as he glanced back to his own pinboard. Above the new picture hung a photo that had been posted all over the internet for at least a week. It showed Jack and him sitting in the back of a car while the driver shut the door. Through the opening, Jack’s hand could be seen resting on Rhys’ upper inner thigh, and his lips at Rhys’ neck, behind his ear. Rhys was blushing and smiling in the photo. It had been taken shortly before the two of them had been married. Jack had made posts on various social media sites stating he felt violated by the photo, and something that was meant to be private shouldn’t have been posted for the world to see. But Rhys remembered the way Jack had glanced quickly over his shoulder that night before leaning in to him. He knew what he was doing.

Beside that photo hung a picture of Rhys and Jack sitting on the floor in front of a Christmas tree. Jack was smiling at Rhys, who was holding up his new car keys and grinning from ear to ear. Rhys’ dog sat on the floor beside him wearing her new diamond-studded collar. Each gift from Jack was really just another way of improving his husband’s image. The new car kept him from driving around in the loud, rusted vehicle Rhys had owned while they were dating. When he had first moved in with Jack, Rhys’ dog’s collar was just a simple dirty red strap that hung from her neck. It was nowhere near as nice as the shiny, expensive collar tied around the neck of Jack’s small, pampered Pomeranian.

Rhys heard muffled panting and padded footsteps approaching the bedroom from the hall. Speak of the devil. He leaned down as the large German Shepherd peeked her head into the doorway.

“Hey, Lady. Whatcha got there?” Rhys pried open the dog’s mouth and pulled one of Jack’s yellow slippers from between her teeth. She wagged her tail and sat down on the floor, tilting her head as Rhys grimaced. He tossed the slipper in front of the dresser where its partner sat on the floor. “I won’t tell him if you don’t,” he winked and ruffled Lady’s ears.

\--

Rhys scooped the last pancake out of the pan and added it to the stack at his side as he heard Jack enter the kitchen. “Morning!”

The strong smell of Jack’s cigarette filled Rhys’ nostrils as Jack moved to stand behind him. He held his phone out in front of them and rested his chin on Rhys’ shoulder. Rhys grabbed a banana slice from the bowl and held it to Jack’s mouth. Jack leaned forward to gently bite into it, holding the pose long enough to snap the picture. He swallowed the banana slice and balanced his cigarette between his lips as he filled a plate of pancakes and slumped into a chair at the table. Rhys fixed his own plate, grabbed his coffee mug, and sat down across from Jack. Lady lifted herself from where she’d been lying in the corner to crawl under the table and rest her head in Rhys’ lap.

Just as Rhys opened his mouth to speak, Jack’s phone rang. He quickly picked it up to answer. “Yeah?”

Rhys simply frowned and lifted his fork to his mouth as he heard to Jack’s assistant’s muffled speaking on the other end of the phone. Whatever she was saying must have upset Jack, who was sighing and running a hand down his face. “Okay, and what about in the afternoon?” He scratched at his chin stubble. “No, we can’t move it to Monday, this needs done by tomorrow.”

Rhys swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “Hi, Meg!” he called out in the direction of Jack’s phone.

Jack shot Rhys a dirty look as the muffled voice from the phone spoke excitedly. He rolled his eyes. “No, I’m not telling him- Look, can we just reschedule this for tonight? We can do it over video conference, after office hours.”

“Jack, it’s Friday.”

Jack rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away, covering the receiver. “Okay. And?”

“It’s Date Night. We’re going to dinner.”

Jack groaned loudly and raised the phone back to his face. “I’ll talk to you when I get in,” he muttered before hanging up and throwing the phone down onto the table. He lifted his fork to poke at his breakfast.

Rhys scratched Lady behind one of her ears. She sighed loudly and leaned her head into the touch lazily. He smiled down at her. “Somebody’s grumpy today, huh?”

Jack threw his fork down onto his plate and glared at Rhys, who was still petting his dog. He looked up at him and smiled coyly. “And the morning after Sex Night, too.”

Jack reached forward to tap his cigarette above Rhys’ coffee before scooping his plate off the table and carrying it out of the room with him. Rhys grimaced at the ashes floating in his drink and picked it up by the handle. He lifted himself from his chair and walked over to the sink to dump it when he heard his phone buzz on the counter.

_Snapchat from jackandrhys._

Rhys unlocked the phone and tapped the picture in his inbox. It showed him smiling at Jack and holding the small banana slice to his mouth. The black bar at the bottom read, “My breakfast wouldn’t be balanced without him.”

Not pictured: the cigarette tucked behind the phone in his hand, balanced between his fingers.


	2. Jack, But Not Jack

Rhys held the warm bowl away from his body as he carefully made his way up the wide staircase. He walked slowly, not wanting any soup to fall onto the clothes he’d picked out for date night.

“Angel?” Rhys used his foot to push the door open slowly and peek into Angel’s bedroom. She turned over lazily, pulling her blanket over her shoulders.

Rhys placed the bowl on Angel’s bedside table and set a large bottle of water beside it. “ _Please_ eat something, okay? At least drink this.”

Angel grumbled and nuzzled her head into her pillow sleepily. Rhys reached forward to tuck some stray strands of hair behind her ear as he heard the dogs making their way into the room. Lady quickly pushed past Rhys’ legs to stand at eye-level with Angel and wag her tail. Jack’s small Pomeranian, Harold, leapt onto the bed and lied in the curl of her legs.

Jack had named his dog after his old boss who was, according to Jack, “a total dick.” Jack got a sick thrill out of being able to say things such as “Harold, get out of the garbage,” or “Harold’s trying to eat his own puke again.” He’d been over the moon when it was time to get him neutered.

“Hey, c’mon. Let’s leave Angel alone.” Rhys leaned over to lift Harold off the bed.

“No, I want them here while you’re out.” Angel reached an arm out of her covers to scratch Lady behind her ear.

Rhys sighed and set the small dog back down at the foot of the bed. He grumbled and plopped down into a laying position. “Don’t dehydrate while I’m gone, okay? Call or text if you need anything.” Rhys turned and quickly made his way out of the room and down the steps.

\--

Rhys brought his water back to his lips again, more out of boredom than thirst. He knew Jack liked arriving _fashionably late_ to just about everything, but Rhys was actually starting to worry this time.

“Another water, sir?” Rhys’ and Jack’s usual waitress appeared at his left. She was the only member of the wait staff not too intimidated by Handsome Jack to approach their table. She was the same age as Angel, and the two of them had been in school together since kindergarten, so Jack already knew her fairly well. Rhys offered her a friendly smile and handed over his glass.

Just as Rhys was attempting the check his phone nonchalantly under the table, the restaurant fell silent, low mutters and the _clink_ of silverware being set on plates the only sounds in the normally loud building.

A hand fell on Rhys’ shoulder, and he turned his head to the side. “Hey, what-“

Rhys was cut off as lips met his and stayed there for a long moment. He let his eyes slide shut and sighed deeply before he felt the other man pull away.

Rhys’ eyes widened as he watched the other man settle in on the other side of the table. He blinked quickly, leaving his eyes shut a moment to roll his eyeballs around a couple times under their lids. The man sitting across from him was _not_ Jack. Right? Surely Rhys could tell his husband from a stranger, right? The perfectly styled shape of his hair was the same as Jack’s. And that perfect toothy smile, also Jack’s. But there was _something_ off about this man.

The stranger unfolded his napkin and laid it across his lap, eyelids falling slightly as he looked down. The scar over his left eyelid was blurred just a tad, smeared from where his eye had been open. Makeup. The scarred section of Jack’s eyebrow was too perfectly shaped on this man, shaved in a stark line. Rhys glanced over to his other scar that ran up the right side of the bridge of his nose. When he looked at him straight on, Rhys noticed that the angle of it was just a little wrong. It was tilted a bit too far toward the center of his face.

As soon as Rhys opened his mouth to speak, the waitress was at the table again. “All ready to order? Can I just put in your usual?”

Rhys turned and nodded, humming out a cracked “Mm-hm” in confirmation.

Not-Jack flashed that stupidly perfect smile in her direction. “I’ll have my usual as well, thank you,” he replied in Jack’s voice.

The waitress smiled and walked away with their menus. Not-Jack turned to Rhys.

“Okay, _what_ did I just order?” His voice was low as he spoke, a loud whisper. His voice was different now, a slightly higher pitch and shaken by a hint of nervousness.

“Ch-chicken parm,” Rhys replied, earning him a deep sigh from the man in front of him.

“Okay, good. I was scared they would bring out something difficult, like crab legs or one of those fish with the really tiny bones, you know?”

“It’s… not a seafood restaurant.”

“Yeah, I know. But…” the man shrugged, “You never know.”

“Right.” Rhys sighed and took a sip from his new glass of water. The other man looked at him cautiously.

“I’m… Jack says he’s sorry he couldn’t make it.” He fidgeted with the napkin on his lap nervously. “He said he was really looking forward to tonight and… if he could, he’d be here.”

Rhys scoffed and shook his head. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

“That’s… what he told me to say.”

“Okay. So, um. What exactly _are_ you?” Rhys changed the subject. The other man seemed to laugh a little.

“I’m a ‘body double.’ I’m Jack’s stand-in. Most of the time I just sit through unimportant meetings with a tape recorder in my pocket, or go to product launches when Jack is too busy to be there himself.”

Rhys nodded. “And dates.”

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

Rhys glanced around the restaurant and noticed how many people had phones pointed in their direction. Several of them pretended to be simply checking their phones at an awkward angle. He sighed tiredly and slid his organic hand underneath his partner’s much larger hand. Their fingers interlocked, and Rhys offered him a friendly fake smile.

The man laughed nervously and squeezed Rhys’ hand. “Sorry. I forgot we’re supposed to be… you know…”

Rhys simply nodded. “So. Those rumors about Jack paying for a stranger’s plastic surgery a few years ago. Was that you?”

He bit his lip and nodded. “Mostly just a facelift. And a nose job. We were already the same height, and build. I like to think my Jack impression is pretty good.”

Rhys nodded. “Yeah. It’s not bad.”

The two fell silent for a while. Rhys took a mental note of the way the man’s thumb was rubbing a slow line back and forth on the side of his hand.

The food could not have come quickly enough. Rhys felt like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders as his plate was set in front of him.

“Hey. Come to think of it, I didn’t see Angel in Pre-Calc today. She alright?” Their waitress tucked her empty tray beneath her arm.

“Oh, she’ll be fine. She just caught a stomach bug, so she stayed home to rest today,” Not-Jack replied.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Tell her I say to get well soon!” With that, the two men were alone once again.

Rhys scrunched his eyebrows at the man. “What, did you study up before you came out?”

He shrugged. “Jack gave me a few notes earlier. Just in case.”

For the most part, the two ate in silence. Rhys kept a close eye on the man pretending to be Jack. The way he ate, fork and knife clanging on the plate noisily with his elbows on the table, was exactly like the way Jack ate. He even chewed the same way Jack chewed, angling his jaw just slightly and smacking his lips every few seconds.

Rhys was scraping the last bite of his steamed vegetables onto his fork when he heard the man across from him sigh loudly. Rhys looked up at him. A good portion of his meal still sat on his plate, but the look on his face suggested that the _last_ thing he wanted to do was actually eat it.

“Full?” Rhys asked through a mouth full of veggies.

Not-Jack laughed and nodded. “A little, yeah.” He glanced down at his watch. “Hey, it’s getting kinda late. I don’t want you to have to wait on me. Why don’t you head on home?”

“What? A-are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll finish up here, pick up the tab, and uh… meet you there later.” He winked.

“Oh. Okay. Um.” Rhys took one more quick sip of his water and stood slowly. The other man placed his napkin on the table before he also stood up and walked over to Rhys. One long arm snaked around the young man’s waist before lips were on his again.

Rhys closed his eyes and let his shaky hands rest on broad shoulders. Thin lips slowly slid against his. The kiss was long, unlike Jack’s quick pecks he’d give Rhys before he left for work or went to bed at night. Rhys relaxed, sighing again involuntarily. The other man broke the kiss and rested his forehead against his.

“See you at home, kitten,” he murmured in a dark voice that resembled Jack’s.

“Y-yeah, I’ll, um…” Rhys took a step backward and stumbled over his chair. “You will, um. I mean, not if I see you first.” He laughed nervously before turning and speed-walking out of the restaurant, suddenly aware that every eye in the building was fixed on him.

\--

Rhys pulled the front door shut behind him and slowly turned the lock into place before placing his keys in the bowl that sat on the small table near the door. A bottle of water with two pills sat on the table near the bowl. Rhys picked them up and threw one into his mouth as he made his way up the steps.

Down the hall, he could see the light from Jack’s office coming through the doorway. He walked up to the door and peeked his head in. “Jack?”

Jack spun around in his office chair. “Hey! How’d the date go?”

Rhys pursed his lips and forced a smile. “Great! Best date I’ve been on in five years.”

“Oh, you are hilarious.” Jack rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer. “Going to bed?”

“I guess so, yeah.”

“Do me a favor, go get Lady Dog out of Angel’s room. I don’t like her sleeping in there.”

Rhys nodded. “Alright.”

Jack turned his head and grabbed the front of Rhys’ shirt, pulling him down to his level. Their lips brushed together abruptly before Jack released him and Rhys stood straight again. “Good night, Rhys.”

“Good night, Jack.”

As Rhys watched Lady slowly drag her paws along Angel’s carpet, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and squinted at the screen, nearly tripping over the dog who had stopped to stretch in the hallway.

It was a message from an unknown number. _‘is jack ok’_

Rhys unlocked the phone and typed out his reply. _‘I’m sorry, who is this?’_

The next message came in as he sat on the edge of the bed to untie his shoes. _‘oh sorry its me from the date. fake jack. he gave me ur number’_

_‘Jack is fine. He just had a lot of work to do.’_

_‘oh ok’_

Rhys stared at his phone for a minute, trying to decide whether or not the text warranted a reply, when another text came in.

_‘hey did u know he has u in his phone as rhysie-cakes? adorable’_

_‘I did know that, yeah.’_ Rhys thought a moment. _‘What about you? What can I save your number as?’_

Rhys set his phone on the bed and walked into the bathroom. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into the hamper. He quickly tore the button and zipper of his pants open and shoved them to the floor, using his foot to pick it up and kick it into the hamper as well. He snatched his toothbrush from the cup by the sink and ran it under the faucet before squeezing some toothpaste onto the bristles and balancing it between his lips.

As he dragged the toothbrush back and forth along his teeth, he wandered back into the bedroom and picked up his phone. One new message from an unknown number.

_‘timothy’_


	3. Family Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick filler chapter.

Saturday night was Family Night. Family Night meant that for the last few hours of the day Jack, Rhys, and Angel would spend some quality time together. Sometimes they watched movies and shared a big bowl of popcorn. Other nights, they would rummage through the large cabinet of board games in the basement. Every once in a while, they would bake together and just tell stories.

Usually, Saturday night was Rhys’ favorite night of the week. Usually.

Under a light blanket, Jack spread himself over the futon that was attached to the large couch in the living room, eyes glued to his tablet as he attempted to get caught up in his emails. His eyes would glance up at the television every few minutes, but only for a second or two before he went back to work. At the other end of the couch, where it was bent at a right angle to face where Jack was sitting, Angel snored under a large quilt, head still tilted on the pillow from where she had attempted to pay attention to the movie playing on the TV. Rhys slumped in the center of the couch, with his head where his back should have been and his back where his legs should have been.

Rhys couldn’t exactly say he was _enjoying_ the movie. Jack had picked it out, so of course it was some plotless, action-packed nonsense with a fair amount of lewd, tasteless humor thrown in for good measure. Rhys sighed and pulled the rest of his body onto the couch, slowly crawling to where Jack was sitting. He ducked his head under his husband’s arm and laid his head on his belly. He took a moment to listen to the churning noises of the food working through Jack’s digestive system before turning his face up to look at him.

“She should really be in bed, you know.”

Jack turned to look at his daughter. “At least she’s finally sleeping.”

“…On the couch.” Rhys sat up and scooted over to where Angel was lying. He patted her shoulder a few times, causing her to inhale slowly and stretch before her eyes opened.

“Hey. Why don’t you head on up to bed?” Rhys asked softly. Angel simply groaned and rolled over, pulling her quilt tighter on her body.

“See? She’s fine,” Jack called over, pulling his feet up closer to his body and resting his tablet on his legs.

Rhys turned to scowl at him, but was interrupted by the clinking sound of Lady’s collar as she trotted into the room. She walked up to Angel and craned her neck to peek up at her.

Jack quickly flung his arm at Rhys, hitting him squarely in the chest and eliciting a small _oof!_ from his partner.

_“Get that damn dog away from her!”_

Rhys rubbed at his chest as he reached over to pull Lady closer to him. “She was just checking up on her,” he explained as he rubbed the dog’s ears. “Weren’t you, Lady Dog? Just wanted to make sure she’s okay, huh?”

Jack’s eyebrows raised as he watched Rhys interact with the large dog. “You’re so frickin’ weird,” he muttered as he turned his attention back to the device leaning against his legs.

Lady suddenly ran from Rhys, pouncing on a toy lying in a pile by the small bed where Jack’s dog, Harold, slept. Harold sat up suddenly and growled as Lady brought the small rope back to Rhys.

“Harold, knock it off,” Rhys called out in an annoyed tone as he picked up one end of the rope and tugged lightly.

“It _is_ his rope.”

“He wasn’t playing with it. He never plays with it.”

“Okay, but it’s his. Even if he doesn’t _play with it_ , it still belongs to him, and he still enjoys having it.” Jack looked at Rhys’ dog and scrunched his nose. “And your dog has no business taking what’s not hers. I think Harry’s got the right to growl.”

Rhys snorted. “ _’The right to growl.’_ They’re dogs. They don’t know any better.”

Jack reached over, yanked the rope from Rhys’ grip, and tossed it back to Harold’s pile of toys. “Whatever, Rhys.”

Rhys bit his lip and sighed. He looked at Lady, whose head was tilted as she watched Jack ignore her. “Hey!” He poked the dog in the shoulder. “ _Ride?_ ” Lady tilted her head further as her tail began to wag. “Wanna go _outside_? Go for a _ride_?”

Lady jumped up and ran to the door as Rhys lifted himself from the couch, ignoring the “Really?” Jack shouted after him. He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and slung it over his arms as he pulled his keys out of the bowl. He paused by the door to collect Lady’s leash and Frisbee before walking out into the crisp autumn air.

“No, Lady! This way!” Rhys called out as he watched his dog run over to his old car that Jack had long since replaced. “Come on!” He walked over to the newer car that was parked just outside of the garage. Lady ignored him, jumping onto the passenger door of the old car. Rhys sighed and made his way over to where she stood, shifting the keys on the keyring in his hand. He unlocked the door and opened it to let her in before making his way to the driver side.

The engine whined and chugged as Rhys turned the key, stepping on the gas pedal slightly as the car finally started. As he turned to grab his seatbelt, he saw Jack approaching the car. He groaned and rolled down his window.

“This thing sounds like shit,” Jack commented, bending down to lean in the window.

“I might need to work on the engine.”

“Why?” Jack shook his head. “The thing’s older than I am, just scrap it. Give it to some high school, let them paint it with their rival team’s colors and beat the hell out of it.”

Rhys rolled his eyes and closed the window in Jack’s face. He buckled the belt across his lap and shifted the car into drive.

Jack hit the car’s window with his fist. “Bye! Love you!” he called out sarcastically as Rhys began to pull out.

-

“Okay! One last throw!” Rhys held the Frisbee loosely in his biological hand as he unwound his arm and let go. Lady chased after it and jumped to catch it in her mouth. She turned and slowly trotted over to where Rhys stood, panting around the disc in her mouth as her tail wagged proudly.

Rhys knelt down to pet her as she dropped the toy at his feet. “Good girl, Lady. Ready to go home?” He picked up the disc and pulled the keys out of his pocket. The dog followed him to the car and hopped in as he opened the door. She stepped over the console to plop down into the passenger seat.

Rhys settled into his own seat and pulled the door shut. He slipped the key into the ignition and turned it as he reached for his seatbelt.

The car’s engine sputtered for a moment, then went silent. Rhys’ face fell.

“No, no, no…” he turned the key again, to no avail. “Shit!”

Rhys ran his mechanical hand through his hair worriedly as he fished his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He quickly opened his contacts and sucked in a deep breath.

He couldn’t call Jack. Jack wouldn’t even try to get the car running again. He would just take Rhys home and leave the car to be towed.

Angel was still sick and, if Jack had any sense, sent to bed.

Rhys quickly scrolled down to Vaughn’s name and hit dial. The phone rang several times before he finally answered.

“Hello?” Vaughn practically yelled into the receiver. Rhys could hear several voices behind him.

“Vaughn? Hey, are you busy?”

“Uh, kinda? I’m at Yvette’s. We invited you, remember?”

“Oh, shit, right,” Rhys sighed. He could hear an excited voice on the other end.

_“Is that Rhys? Hi, Rhys!”_

“Hey Sasha… So, I’m guessing Fiona’s there too?”

“Yeah. Uh. And August.”

“Of course. And I’m also guessing none of you would be able to drive out to the dog park to jump my car?”

“Uh, I dunno, dude. Well… I think Sasha’s only had like two drinks.”

“Nah, forget it. Don’t risk it. I’ll find someone.”

“There’s nobody else there?”

“No, it’s late. Everybody left except for me. Probably had families they actually _wanted_ to return to.”

“Sorry, bro.”

“It’s alright. I guess I’ll call Jack, and try to convince him to let me keep the car.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

“Thanks.” Rhys hung up his phone began to scroll up through his contacts. The top of V scrolled to the bottom of T, and a name caught Rhys’ eye. His thumbs danced indecisively over the phone’s screen as he pondered whether or not this was really a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey.
> 
> so this whole fic is unbeta'ed and, for the most part, unedited because i'm tired and busy a lot. so if you see anything that looks bad, reads weird, or is just wrong, feel free to like comment or yell at me on tumblr or something and i'll fix it when i get a minute. i'd appreciate it.
> 
> next two chapters will probably also be filler chapters. gotta set some stuff up, ya know? sorry about that.
> 
> thanks to everybody who reads and comments and leaves kudos, yins are the best.
> 
> i need to go back to bed.


	4. Of the Crickets That Would Convince Me to Call It a Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pfffffft.

Rhys pulled his jacket tighter onto his body and unlocked his phone. One new message from Jack.

_‘You coming home?’_

_‘Soon.’_ Rhys slid the phone back into his pocket and looked up just in time to watch bright headlights turn into the park’s empty lot. The car drove up to the space directly in front of Rhys’ car before it stilled and was shut off.

Rhys quickly opened his car door, reaching down to pull the lever to open the trunk as he exited. He made his way to the back of the car and slid his hand underneath the opening of the trunk, yanking it up hastily and scanning the inside to find what he was looking for. He pulled out the jumper cables and cradled the long, heavy wires with one arm. He slammed the trunk shut again before rounding the vehicle and walking up to the man who had just stepped out of the second car.

Timothy stood maybe an inch shorter than Rhys. His hair hung over his forehead and dangled over his ears, no longer styled in the same combed-back look his employer wore. His face was clean of any makeup, revealing a face of light brown freckles. His eyes were a light color that was probably a variation of blue, but came off as gray. He wore a large brown leather jacket over a red flannel shirt with jeans and boots.

He handed Rhys a warm cup with a plastic lid, which Rhys recognized as being from a fast food chain he hadn’t visited in a long time.

“Stopped and got you some hot chocolate. Just a little present, since I probably won’t be much help here.”

Rhys traded him the cables for the cup and offered him a smile before taking a slow sip and leaning back into his car to push the button that would pop open the hood. He looked up to see Timothy doing the same in his own car.

Rhys exited the car again, and this time Lady followed. He reached under the hood of his car to undo the latch and lift it into position.

“I mean, I can bring you everything you need, but apart from that you’ll probably have to do all the work yourself.”

Rhys snorted. “Yeah, where have I heard that before?” He turned to help prop open the hood of the other car and set his drink on the floor. He took the cables and leaned in to find the car’s battery.

“My friend is a mechanic, so she usually does all this stuff for me.”

“Yeah? Lucky you.”

“I guess, but I don’t understand any of it. Never really had to.” Timothy watched as Rhys turned and clamped the other end of the cables onto his own car’s battery.

“This isn’t difficult.” Rhys looked up at the man who was affectionately scratching his dog behind her ears. “I’ll get in my car, and when you’re ready you can get in yours and start it.”

Rhys shut the door to his car and watched as Timothy climbed into his own car. After a short minute, Timothy’s roared to life. Rhys took a deep breath and pushed his keys into the ignition before turning slowly. The engine chugged a few times before finally starting. Rhys chuckled happily and gave a thumbs-up. He threw his door open and ran out.

“Now what?” Timothy’s voice came from behind him.

“It has to keep running for a minute.” Rhys cradled the cables in his arms and walked around to dump them back in his trunk. He heard the slam of a car’s hood on his way back. “Thanks for this. You really saved me.”

“No problem.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t busy.”

“I should… turn the heat on, so it’ll be ready when I leave,” Rhys chuckled nervously as he watched Timothy lean down to pet Lady. He had large, yet gentle hands. His soft expression and tone of voice was so different from what Rhys had expected. Rhys looked at him, and he expected him to be _Jack_. He _looked like_ Jack, he _sounded like_ Jack, but he _wasn’t_ Jack.

Rhys shut the car door behind him to trap in the heat. He found Timothy sitting on the ground and smiling up at the sky, absentmindedly stroking the dog’s neck as her head rested on his knee. _Jack_ never let Lady get that close to him, but _Timothy_ didn’t seem to mind.

Rhys bent down to sit across from him and smiled politely when he saw him look over.

“Can never see the stars from where I live. This is nice.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Rhys looked up at the bright white stars that shone through the darkness. He came out here a lot and almost always stayed late, so it was really nothing new to him.

“Hey, there’s someone I want you to meet!” Timothy jumped up from the ground and ran to his car. Rhys could see him clearly as the overhead light came on and he grabbed at a pile of blankets in the passenger seat. He cradled his arms possessively as he straightened himself and closed the door with his foot.

He knelt down and settled in to sit directly beside Rhys. Before Rhys could even tell what was happening, a small, soft kitten was being placed in his hands. A fuzzy, calico little girl. She yawned silently and nestled her head against the side of Rhys’ hand before closing her eyes and purring softly.

“I don’t trust her to be home alone just yet.” Timothy stroked the side of the kitten’s face with the outside of his finger. “She’s always getting into something, so who knows what she could do with a whole apartment to herself?”

“…I don’t believe you. She’s an angel.” Rhys watched the way her tiny chest puffed in and out as she slept.

“It’s just an act.”

Rhys chuckled. “Well, she learned from the best.”

Timothy snorted and stretched his legs out in front of himself.

“What’s her name?”

“Mittens.”

Rhys looked at the kitten’s paws. They were the same shade of white as the rest of her legs. “But she doesn’t have mittens.”

Timothy gave him a confused look. “She’s a _cat_ , Rhys.”

“No, I know. But I thought maybe her paws were a different color or something.”

“ _Oh._ Nah. Then I would’ve named her ‘Socks.’”

“…That’s _terrible_.”

“Oh, what do you know?” Timothy picked the small cat out of Rhys’ hands carefully. His warm hands slid along the skin of Rhys’ organic hand slowly, and Rhys tried his best to suppress a shiver.

He watched Timothy slide into the driver seat of his car and pull the blankets apart to make a small bed for Mittens. He lifted her to his face quickly and placed a small kiss on her forehead before placing her back in her seat and tucking the blankets closer to her body. He exited the car and walked back over to Rhys and offered him his hand. Rhys took it and pulled himself from the ground. Timothy pulled him up strongly yet easily, and smiled.

Rhys pursed his lips at his new friend for a moment. For somebody as slight as he was, Timothy was pretty solid. The smile faded from his face as he noticed Rhys staring.

“Is something wrong?”

“No!” Rhys shook his head quickly. “No, no, nothing’s wrong! I was just… I was just thinking. About stuff, you know.”

“…Okay.”

Lady stretched and walked over to where the two men stood.

“Ready to go _home_?” Rhys asked. She wagged her tail lazily at the familiar word and walked to the passenger door. Rhys followed her and opened it for her. She climbed onto the seat and plopped down into a curled position, sighing heavily.

“Hey, thanks. For all this.” Rhys walked back to where Timothy stood and smiled at him. “It really means a lot.”

“Yeah, well… You owe me.” Timothy shot Rhys a playful grin and winked at him, and Rhys felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment.

“Y-yeah. Of course. I mean, if you ever need anything, I…” Rhys stuttered before trailing off.

“Hey, relax! I’m joking!” Timothy laughed. “It was nothing, really.”

Rhys stopped directly in front of where he stood. “Well, still… Thank you.”

Timothy just smiled and hummed in response. Rhys’ headlights shone across his face, highlighting his features. His pale face sprinkled with brown freckles contrasted nicely with the bright stars scattered across the night sky behind him. Everything about the man seemed so _friendly_ and _inviting_.

Before he could stop himself, Rhys was leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Timothy’s. He felt his heart beating furiously against his chest as he angled his face slightly and pressed his own lips against Timothy’s. He missed slightly, and ended up kissing Timothy’s bottom lip and his chin.

Timothy chuckled slightly before pulling Rhys’ upper lip between his own lips and sucking on it gently. Rhys squeaked nervously, sucking Timothy’s lip between his similarly and nibbling on it slightly. Their lips smacked together as they adjusted, aligning their lips and pressing together.

Timothy sighed out of his nose and rested his hands on Rhys’ hips. He swayed slowly back and forth contentedly.

Rhys reached up to rest his own hands on Timothy’s shoulders. He pressed his mouth onto his partner’s more forcefully, smacking his lips loudly as his mechanical hand moved to the back of Timothy’s neck.

Timothy kissed back with equal fervor, pushing his tongue just past Rhys’ lips to lick at the bottoms of his front teeth. Rhys pushed his own tongue into Timothy’s mouth fully, sliding along his teeth and gums before Timothy pushed back with his own. Their tongues swirled around each other for a moment before Timothy used his hold on Rhys’ hips to turn him and press him against the front of his own car. Rhys hummed and tangled his fingers into Timothy’s hair.

The kiss broke off suddenly as Timothy leaned back, eyes wide and full of… guilt, maybe?

“I’m sorry, I… You should be getting home.” Timothy backed up a step. “It was, um…” He looked up at Rhys, making eye contact for only a moment before looking down at the ground, cheeks pink. “It was nice seeing you, Rhys.”

“Wait!”

Timothy ignored Rhys as he settled into his car. He quickly pulled out of his parking spot and drove out of the lot. Rhys sighed and turned to open his own car door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the keyboard on my new laptop isn't as clicky as my old one. so if anything reads weird it's probably because i missed some punctuation as i was typing and spell-check doesn't catch that shit.
> 
> thanks for reading. <3


	5. Landed in a Very Common Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another filler chapter for the most part.  
> i suck at dialogue, man. sorry 'bout that.
> 
> oh yeah minor minor daddy kink warning except not really. i just put the word daddy in there once but like i might as well warn you, right?

“Yeah, we’re really looking forward to it too.” Rhys balanced his phone between his ear and his shoulder for a moment to open the freezer with his free hand. “We can’t wait.”

“You’re sure we’re not imposing? We won’t stay any longer than you want us.”

“Mom, we have more guest rooms than I’ve ever bothered to count.” Rhys shut the freezer door and grabbed his phone with his hand again. “It won’t be a problem.”

He heard his mom sigh over the phone. “Well, alright. Be sure to thank Jack for us again, okay? It was nice talking with you, Rhys.”

“You too, Mom. Tell Dad 'hi' from me. Good night.”

Rhys ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He shoved a spoon into his bowl of ice cream and cradled it close to his body as he made his way up the steps. He could already see the light coming through the door to Jack’s office, meaning he was still in there. Rhys took a deep breath and knocked. He heard Jack grunt from the inside, which he could only suppose meant he was clear to enter.

Jack sat in his plush desk chair, slouched down into what was really more of a laying position. His keyboard was balanced in his lap. He poked at it with one hand while the other held the cigarette at his mouth. Rhys walked forward and sat on the edge of Jack’s desk, facing him.

“So, I just got off the phone with my mom,” Rhys stated quickly before shoveling some of his dessert into his mouth.

“Finally moving back to the backwoods, are you?” Jack reached out to pat Rhys on the knee rather roughly. “I’ll miss you, kiddo.”

“Um. No.” Rhys poked at his ice cream with his spoon. “No, I’m not _moving back to the backwoods_. Do you remember, like a month ago, when I asked if I could invite them to come in for Christmas?”

“…No.”

“Well, I did.”

“Hm.” Jack sat up in his chair and set his keyboard back down on the desk, beside Rhys. He turned to look at him. “And what was my answer?”

“You were fine with it.”

Jack sighed and shut his eyes slowly.

“They’re excited. She kept telling me how much she was looking forward to seeing us.”

“Of course they’re excited.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Finally get to leave the cornfields for a few days, why wouldn’t they be?”

“…Right.” Rhys spooned out a large amount of ice cream and reached forward to offer it to Jack, who grabbed the whole thing in his mouth and smacked his lips noisily. “So, I was just wondering if maybe you could just… you know, tone it down a bit this year? At least while they’re here.”

 _“Tone it down?”_ Jack asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

“Well, yeah. It’s just that… you tend to get a bit rowdy at Christmas.”

 _“Rowdy,”_ Jack repeated.

Rhys rolled his eyes. “Yes. Rowdy.”

“What do you mean?” Jack leaned forward and opened his mouth, waiting for Rhys to feed him again.

“Well…” Rhys dug around the bowl with his spoon. “ _For starters_ , every year at dinner you have a lot to drink.” He paused to spoon more ice cream into Jack’s mouth. “Like, _a lot_. Which is fine, that’s not a problem.” Rhys noted the way Jack was raising his eyebrows at him. “But when you scoot your chair up next to mine and start feeling me up under the table, it _becomes_ a problem.”

Jack swallowed his ice cream and chuckled. “I don’t remember doing _that_.”

“Well, I didn’t think you would.”

“ _Hey_ ,” Jack tilted his head and smiled. That stupid, flashy, famous smile. “I think your folks would be _happy_ to see how much I love their son.” He reached up to grab Rhys by the legs and shake him playfully. “Just can’t keep my hands off’a ya!”

“Right, um. About that…” Rhys grabbed another spoonful of ice cream, and Jack opened his mouth wide. Rhys fed himself the ice cream and watched the way Jack scowled at him. “Maybe we could just… _not_ do mistletoe this year.”

Jack rested his chin on his hand and squinted at his husband. He shook his head slowly. “Rhysie, why do you hate tradition?”

“I don’t! I just… don’t like when you make out with me in front of other people. _Especially_ not my parents.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“ _Jack_!” Rhys set the spoon in the bowl and placed it on the desk. Jack sat forward to ditch his cigarette in the ash tray and grab the bowl instead. “Last year, you cornered me against a wall and put your hands down the back of my pants.”

Jack laughed around the spoon in his mouth.

“It’s not funny.”

“It kind of is.”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “I guess all I’m saying is, could you try to keep the PDA to a minimum while they’re here?”

Jack threw the spoon back into the empty bowl noisily and placed it back onto the desk. “Do you know what the ‘P’ in PDA _stands for_ , Rhys?” He paused to stare at him for a moment. “ _Public._ And do you know what _public_ means?” He paused again.

“U-um…”

“Whose house is this, Rhys?”

“…Ours?”

“That’s right.” Jack spoke in a patronizing, sarcastic tone. “So my question to you is, how can something that happens between me and my own husband, in our own home, be considered _public_?”

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the right word to use.” Rhys rubbed at his temples. “Alright. We can keep the mistletoe.” Jack smiled. “Just, maybe like a quick peck, or a kiss on the cheek?”

Jack snorted. “What are you, my grandma?”

Rhys rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but Jack shook his head.

“Fine.”

“Thank you.”

Jack started to turn back to his computer. “That all?”

“Just… one more thing.” Rhys watched as Jack turned his chair back to face him again. “And this is _really_ important…”

Jack raised his eyebrows at Rhys expectantly. “I’m listening.”

“Could you, maybe… not leave any sex toys under the tree this year?”

Jack shook his head. “ _Why_ are you trying to ruin Christmas?”

“I’m not, I just… _really_ don’t think that’s appropriate while my parents are here.”

“Oh, _come on_ , Rhys!” Jack rocked back and forth in his chair and tilted his head playfully. “What’s Christmas without a few toys, right?”

“Yeah, no, I’m not saying you can’t get them, I just don’t want you to leave them under the tree. I don’t want my mom and dad seeing that. _Please_.”

Jack sighed. “I’ve already bought and wrapped everything. And I’m not wrapping it again. Either they go under the tree with everything else, or your presents go under the tree unwrapped.”

Rhys shrugged. “That’s fine. Unwrap everything.”

“...Okay.”

Rhys stood and began to walk out of the room. Jack sat up quickly and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him onto his lap. Rhys adjusted his position until he was straddling Jack’s thighs, facing him.

“Scared I’ll embarrass you in front of your parents?”

“No… Not really.”

“No?”

Rhys shook his head. “You’ll be alright.”

Jack shrugged. “Maybe. But we should probably prepare for the worst, right?”

“…What?”

“Like… What if you ask ‘Daddy’ to pass you the salt and your dad and I both reach for it?”

Rhys laughed and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t call _either_ of you ‘Daddy,’ Jack.”

“Alright, fine. What if… What if your mom and I get caught under the mistletoe and something _magical_ happens, huh?” He pinched Rhys’ sides, tickling him playfully. “You and your dad will both be getting _divorce papers_ for Christmas.”

Rhys batted Jack’s hands away and raised his eyebrows at him. “I was trying to have a serious conversation with you, Jack.”

“Were you?” Jack tickled Rhys’ sides more forcefully. Rhys shrieked and leaned in to laugh against Jack’s shoulder. “Were trying to have a _serious conversation_ with me, Rhysie?” He was talking in the same tone of voice he used to talk to his dog.

“I… I w-was, yeah.”

Jack looked down and pressed his lips against Rhys’ neck. He peppered light kisses against the sensitive skin there before sucking some of it into his mouth and nibbling on it gently. “And how’s that working out for you, hm?”

“U-um. Okay, I guess…” Rhys tried to let himself enjoy the little bit of intimacy he was getting from his husband for a moment.

Suddenly, Jack planted both of his lips against Rhys’ neck and blew a loud, wet raspberry against his skin. Rhys gasped and jumped back, nearly falling to the floor. Jack reached out and grabbed him before he fell, laughing hysterically.

“That’s not funny!”

“It’s pretty funny.” Jack laughed and pulled Rhys in closer to hug him tightly. “You should’ve seen your face!”

“Okay, Jack.” Rhys stood and turned to leave. “I’m going to bed.”

“Wait!” Jack grabbed the ice cream bowl from the desk and held it out to him. “Don’t leave your gross dirty dishes lying around my house.”

Rhys sighed and took the bowl from Jack’s hand before exiting the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah literally nothing happened lol
> 
> and i barely even proofread this. i'm so sorry. i'm a mess.


	6. Maybe He Won't Find Out What I Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to just make a quick lil update since it's been so long, but it got a bit out of hand.

“Jack, what the _hell_?”

Jack looked back over his shoulder at Rhys and wordlessly raised an eyebrow before turning back to the kitchen counter and piling more food onto the sandwich he was preparing.

“You know we have to leave soon, right? And you haven’t even _started_ getting ready?”

“I _am_ ready,” Jack replied.

Rhys pursed his lips and looked Jack up and down. He was wearing nothing but an old pair of plaid pajama pants, covered in dog hair from where Harold was currently jumping at his legs and trying to get Jack to drop some food for him. His hair was still a disheveled mess from where he’d been asleep on the couch all day with his head sandwiched between two pillows.

“In fact, I should be on my way right now.” Jack pulled a mustard-soaked pickle out of the mountain of food in front of him and dropped it to his dog, who caught it in his mouth but then immediately dropped it on the floor and stared at it.

Rhys crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. “You lost me.”

Jack leaned on the counter and tilted his head at Rhys, smiling proudly. “Say ‘hi’ to Timmy for me, will ya?”

Rhys took a deep breath and scratched at his neck. “You’re not… gonna make a habit of this, are you?”

Jack shrugged and tongued the mass of food in his mouth over to his cheek. “I dunno. Maybe.” He sucked some of the mixed condiments from his sandwich off of his thumb and rolled his eyes. “It’s just a stupid concert, Rhys. They play the same shit every year. I’m not missing anything.”

Rhys took a deep breath and fidgeted with the button on the sleeve of his shirt. “Right…”

Jack’s phone chimed on the counter. He bent his dirty forefinger in half and tapped at the screen with his knuckle. “Driver’s here!” He walked over to Rhys and pulled him into a quick hug. “Don’t have too much fun without me, alright?”

Rhys turned away and coughed into Jack’s bare shoulder. “Your breath is atrocious.”

Jack cornered Rhys against the fridge and pressed their foreheads together. “Is it? Is it bad? How bad is it?”

Rhys ducked out of Jack’s grasp and walked out of the kitchen. He turned in the front hall and made his way to the main door.

“Hey!” Jack called after him. “Let me know if they’ve still got that one violinist. You know the one with the hair?” He laughed and turned toward the steps, shoving the last of his food into his mouth.

Rhys eyed the shiny limousine parked outside the gate as he made his way across the front lawn. Every part of him wanted to turn around. He wanted to go back inside and just forget about the concert. If Jack didn’t have to go, he shouldn’t have to go either, right? How is it fair that Jack gets to skip out on their dates, but Rhys still has to go?

The driver stepped out of the car and pulled the back door open for Rhys, smiling politely.

“Thanks.” Rhys ducked into the car and slid into the polished leather seat. He slid a hand through his hair and stared at his feet, trying his best to ignore the other man in the car with him. When he finally chanced a quick peek, he noticed that Timothy was too busy tapping away at his phone to even notice Rhys was with him. Rhys sighed.

If neither of them spoke about what had happened last week, it could be forgotten, right? They didn’t need to talk about it. Or think about it.

Rhys noticed the way Timothy’s leg was bouncing, and he thought he saw him glance up for a split second before his eyes were pulled back down to his phone.

Maybe not talking _at all_ was even worse.

Rhys cleared his throat and scooted closer to Timothy. “I’m sorry, but this is wrong.”

Timothy finally looked up. “W-what? Um. What is?”

“How you’re dressed.” Rhys reached for Tim’s shirt, then hesitated. “May I?”

“Oh. Uh, sure.”

Rhys undid the buttons at Timothy’s collar and the button at the top of his shirt. He pulled it open and stretched the collar across his shoulders. Next, he grabbed Timothy’s arm and unbuttoned the sleeve. He rolled it carefully, but not too neatly. “See, the thing about Jack is, he puts _a lot_ of effort into looking like he doesn’t care.” He started on the other sleeve, looking over at the first one occasionally to make sure they were even. “So you need to make sure everybody knows you’re too good to be here, but still the most attractive person in the room.” He pulled a small section of Timothy’s dress shirt out from where it was tucked into his pants and slid back in the seat to get a good look. He nodded. “Better.”

Timothy looked down at himself and chuckled. “So Date Jack is a little different from Work Jack, then.”

Rhys shrugged. “Well, he _likes_ his work.”

Timothy frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it instead.

Rhys bit his lip. _Too personal?_

“I mean, uh. This concert is kind of silly. It’s mostly families and school groups, but we still go every year. Tradition, you know?”

Timothy nodded.

\--

Rhys grabbed Timothy by the hand and squeezed lightly.  “Ready, _Jack_?”

Timothy let go of Rhys’ hand and grabbed him by the waist instead. “Ready as I’ll ever be, pumpkin.”

Rhys had almost forgotten how _spot on_ Timothy could mimic Jack’s voice. He tried to ignore how tightly Timothy was holding onto him as they made their way through the concert hall doors together. The show was about ready to start, so almost everybody else was already seated.

“This way.” Rhys led Tim toward the stairway at the left wall. “We have reserved seats.”

Timothy hesitated and looked up at the balcony seating above the stage. “Up there?”

“Yep.” Rhys grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along as he walked up the steps. “We’ll have a great view.” He led him down the hall to their seats at the front of the balcony. He sat in the seat marked with the _Rhys_ placeholder and motioned for Tim to sit next to him, in the seat marked _Jack_.

Timothy sat down slowly and grabbed Rhys by the hand. Rhys inhaled sharply as Timothy began squeezing his hand tighter and tighter. He leaned in close to Tim’s ear. “ _You alright_?”

Timothy shook his head quickly. “I _really_ don’t wanna be up here.”

“Oh, uh…” Rhys slipped his left hand from Timothy’s grasp and offered him the metal one instead. “Can you maybe just close your eyes? Think of something else?” He noticed the way Timothy was desperately trying to look anywhere but down. “You know, it wouldn’t be _totally_ unlike Jack to play on his phone through the whole show.”

Timothy nodded and fished his phone out of his pocket with his free hand. He breathed methodically, in through his nose and out of his mouth, as he unlocked it and scrolled through his apps.

“Oh! Wait!” Rhys pulled out his own phone and opened Snapchat. He flipped the camera and held it in front of them. “Okay. Put your chin on my shoulder. Look at the camera, but don’t smile.”

Timothy did as he was told long enough for Rhys to snap a picture. Rhys’ thumb danced over his phone screen indecisively for a moment before he saved the picture and sent it with no caption.

Not pictured: Timothy’s death grip on Rhys’ hand.

Rhys looked up just in time to see the musicians make their way onto the stage. The audience clapped politely as they began to take their seats, and Timothy’s eyes were glued to his phone. Rhys craned his neck as the violinists began to take their places. _“Oh my god.”_ He opened his text messages and tapped his conversation with Jack.

_She’s here, and her hair looks worse than ever._ He hit send, then started typing again. _It’s light purple with dark purple streaks. She looks like that cartoon zebra from the gum wrappers._

His phone vibrated quickly with Jack’s response. _Can you get a pic?_

Rhys stood from his chair and walked to the edge of the balcony. He leaned his elbows on the banister and opened the camera on his phone. He was zooming in to get a better picture of the stage when he felt a big arm circle around his waist. Timothy stood beside him, breathing heavily and shakily as he tried not to look down.

“Hey there.” Rhys took a few pictures of the band before looking back at Timothy. “You didn’t have to join me, you know.”

“Right.” Timothy gulped and squeezed Rhys’ hip. “Well, last week I watched you trip over a chair as you were trying to leave a restaurant. I don’t trust you up here alone.”

“ _Aww,_ ” Rhys rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “Risking your own life to make sure I’m safe? You are _so_ brave.”

Timothy rolled his eyes and pulled Rhys away from the banister and back to their seats. He kept his arm around Rhys as he pulled his phone back out and rested it on his leg. Rhys glanced around and noticed how many people were looking at the two of them. He sighed and rested his head on his fake husband’s shoulder.

“So where’s Mittens tonight?” Rhys spoke softly, so that only Timothy could hear him. “I thought you couldn’t trust her to be left alone.”

“Oh, I can’t. That’s why I left her with my neighbors until I get back.”

“Ah, come on.” Rhys placed his hand on Tim’s leg. “She’s just a baby.”

“She’s a _terror_.” Timothy leaned his head on top of Rhys’, nuzzling him slightly as he tapped at his phone. “She keeps bringing me mouthfuls of white fluff. It’s like stuffing from a pillow or a cushion she’s torn up. I don’t know _where_ she’s getting it from, but I’ve been throwing away a handful every day.”

Rhys turned his face into Timothy’s shoulder to muffle his laughter. Timothy just chuckled and shook his head. Rhys straightened up and squinted at Tim’s phone as he restarted the same level again.

“Hey, can I try?” Rhys whispered as he scooted closer.

“Sure.” Timothy handed the phone to Rhys.

Rhys pulled the cartoon bird back in its giant slingshot. He pulled his finger away and watched as the bird flew right over the tower he was supposed to hit.

“Wow, that is an interesting strategy,” Timothy whispered as he pulled the phone away from Rhys and restarted the level again. “I had not thought of that.”

“No, wait! It was closer than I thought it was!” Rhys grabbed for the phone, but Timothy jerked it away and held it out of reach. It was an angry motion, but he was laughing playfully.

Timothy grabbed Rhys’ head and pulled it into his own chest. He leaned down to shush into Rhys’ ear as he balanced the phone on his leg again. Rhys looked around at the angry faces all around him that were trying to focus on the concert. He sighed and wrapped an arm around Timothy, content to listen to the man’s heart beat as he failed the same level yet again.

\--

Rhys slid along the leather seat and leaned back on the plushy headrest. He sighed and looked out the window, where Timothy was still leaning down to talk to the small girl who had recognized him as Jack and ran up to tell him how much she loved her new Hyperion tablet. She’d pulled it out of her backpack to show him some of the pictures she’d taken during the show.

Rhys stretched and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt as Timothy stood and gave a final wave before settling into the car and shutting the door behind him. He rolled his neck, then looked at Rhys.

“How good is Jack with kids?”

“Surprisingly, really good.” Rhys chewed his lip in thought for a moment. “Although, he is pretty immature himself. So maybe not _too_ surprising.”

“ _Damn._ ” Timothy shook his head. “Gotta learn how to talk to kids.”

Rhys chuckled as Tim slid closer to him in the seat. He scratched at his neck and cleared his throat as the car began to move.

The car ride was uncomfortably quiet, and the two men sat uncomfortably close.

Rhys watched through the window as they left the main part of the city and headed toward the quiet suburb where he and Jack lived. Not too much longer before he’d be home. The silence in the car was becoming unbearable. He turned to Timothy.

“What’re you thinking about?”

“Oh, uh…” Timothy shrugged. “Not really anything.” He smiled politely and put his hand on Rhys’ knee. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

Rhys nodded. “Me too.”

Tim sighed and looked out the window. “Looks like you’re going home first.” He squeezed Rhys’ knee and looked up at him.

Rhys pursed his lips and rested his hand on top of Timothy’s.

“Thanks for tonight.” Tim smiled as he spoke. “I don’t really get out very often, so I have fun on these little pretend dates.”

Rhys nodded wordlessly.

Timothy’s hand slid up to Rhys’ back slowly as he pulled him into a tight hug. Rhys rested his head on the man’s shoulder, but noticed he was having a hard time letting himself relax. He felt Tim’s thumb rubbing his back through his thin dress shirt, and he sighed heavily.

Timothy laughed and scrunched his shoulders as Rhys’ breath tickled his neck. He leaned his head on top of Rhys’ and squeezed him tighter. He glanced out the window again, recognizing the landmarks as they drew nearer to Rhys’ home. He pulled back on Rhys for a second, beckoning him to sit up.

Rhys straightened his posture and tilted his head at Timothy questioningly.

Timothy took a deep breath and placed his hands on either side of Rhys’ face. He leaned in quickly and pressed his lips hard against Rhys’. Rhys gasped through his nose, then relaxed as he tilted his head and moved his lips along Timothy’s.

Timothy’s hands slid down Rhys’ cheeks and past his neck to rest on his shoulders. He began to pull away, but Rhys’ hand shot to the back of his head, holding him in place. He opened his eyes and looked down at the blue tattoos that peeked out from the top of Rhys’ shirt. He reached up to trace them with his fingers lightly, causing Rhys to shudder.

Rhys pulled away long enough to smile at Timothy, grab him by the collar, and lie back, pulling Tim down with him on the long back seat of the car. Timothy adjusted his position so that he was propped up on his knees and loomed over him. He turned his head and sucked on the skin at the side of Rhys’ neck.

Rhys mewled softly and grabbed Timothy’s arms. He tilted his head back as far as he could on the car seat, offering up more skin as Timothy dragged his tongue up to Rhys’ ear. Timothy sucked the lobe of Rhys’ ear into his mouth and nibbled on it lightly. Rhys whined and grinded his hips into Timothy’s. He ran his metal fingers into Tim’s hair and wrapped his long legs around his waist.

Suddenly, the car stopped. Timothy froze for a moment before sitting up in a panic. Rhys scooted back, pulling his leg out from behind the other man. He combed his fingers though his hair a few times and smoothed down his shirt.

He knew it was coming, but the sound of the door being pulled open still made Rhys jump. He scrambled out of the car and shook the driver’s hand. He waved to Timothy, but turned his back and started heading for the front door before he even had a chance to wave back.

Rhys walked into the house slowly and noticed that everything was already dark. He peeked into the kitchen and saw that Jack had once again laid out a water bottle and some sleeping pills for him to take. He groaned and stared at them for a minute before picking them up and turning them over in his hands. He twisted open the cap to the water and took a big drink out of it as he wandered over to the trash can. He glanced over his shoulder quickly before tossing in the medicine and pushing them down further below some napkins and wrappers so they couldn’t be seen.

Rhys made his way to the bedroom to find that Jack had not gone to bed yet. Rhys wasn’t really surprised, considering Jack had napped most of the day away. He probably wasn’t even tired.

Rhys undid his pants and let them fall to the floor. He stepped out of them and pulled his shirt over his head before pulling up on the comforter and sliding into bed. He sighed as he rested his head against the pillow. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d fallen asleep on his own. How long did it usually take? He closed his eyes and waited for it to catch up to him, but even after several minutes he still felt wide awake. He groaned and pulled out his phone, rolling over onto his back and getting comfortable.

\--

Rhys wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. He hurriedly shut off his phone and set it gently on his nightstand. He rolled back onto his side and pulled the comforter up to his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut tight as he heard the door open.

Rhys didn’t move a muscle as he felt the bed dip beside him. Jack settled into bed and nuzzled his head into his pillow.

“…Rhys?”

Rhys didn’t move a muscle.

Jack slid closer to Rhys and wrapped an arm around him. “Hey, babe?” He rested his head behind Rhys’ neck and slipped one of his legs between Rhys’.

Rhys breathed heavily, as though he were asleep. Did Jack always do this when he came to bed? He kept his eyes shut and kept totally still until he heard Jack start snoring quietly behind him. He sighed and looked up at his clock.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell by the end i just really really wanted to be done with this? yeah...
> 
> next one should be out soon.


	7. Drag Me Out of the Sea and Teach Me to Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before anybody tries to tell me, i know this doesn't make sense. just make pretend with me, alright?
> 
> content warning for major character death? kinda, sorta, not really?

“Are you _sure_ you don’t need help?” Rhys watched Jack struggle to open the door going into the house from the garage. Several grocery bags hung from both of his arms. “I can hold a few more.”

“I _got_ this, pumpkin.” Jack finally got the knob turned and kicked the door open. “You just worry about yourself, alright?”

Rhys hurried in behind his husband and rushed to put his bags down on the counter before jogging to the stairs.

“Hey, Ang! We’re home!” He waited for a response, but didn’t get one. “Can you help us put everything away?”

…Still no answer. Rhys looked back to Jack, who was already pulling cans out of a bag and stacking them on top of each other.

“She might have headphones in or something.”

Rhys frowned and ran upstairs. “Angel?” He made it to her door and knocked before stepping in and seeing her lying in bed.

“Angel? You okay?” Rhys stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her slightly. She rolled to her back, and Rhys screamed.

Angel’s eyes were half-lidded, and her mouth hung open just slightly. Her arm slid off the bed and dangled off the side.

_“Angel!”_

Rhys sat up quickly, heart racing. Jack’s arm fell to the bed from where it had been draped across Rhys’ chest. He groaned and rolled to his back.

“Oh my god…” Rhys slid out from under the covers and stumbled his way across the bedroom.

“Rhys?”

Rhys ignored the sound of Jack behind him as he ran out of the room.

“ _Rhys!_ ” Jack caught up to him quickly and grabbed him by the arm. “She’s _asleep._ Leave her alone.”

“Let _go!_ ” Rhys tried to pull free, but Jack pulled him closer and wrapped an arm around his back.

“Hey.” Jack leaned in to whisper in his ear. “It was just a dream.”

“I need to see her.” Rhys tried to push Jack away. “Please.”

Jack hesitated a moment before releasing him.

Rhys felt his heart pounding in his chest as he got closer and closer to his stepdaughter’s room. He placed his hand on the doorknob, and his stomach flipped as he turned it slowly and pushed it open. He peeked in and could just make out Angel lying in bed, turned toward the wall. Rhys’ large dog was curled up in the bend of her legs, snoring happily.

A large smack between his shoulder blades quickly knocked the breath out of Rhys’ lungs. “Get that damn dog _away_ from her,” Jack hissed.

“I… I would feel safer if she stayed in here with her.”

“Yeah?” Jack raised his eyebrows sarcastically and leaned in the doorway. “Well she _would_ _be_ safer if you kept that thing locked in a goddamn _cage._ ” He placed a hand on Rhys’ back and shoved him into the room. “Get her out.”

Rhys approached the bed and patted Lady’s hindquarters to wake her up. She stretched out her legs lazily before climbing off the bed and walking to the door.

“Hey…” Angel rolled over in bed and watched the dog walk past Jack and into the hallway. “Where’s she going?”

“Your dad doesn’t want her in here.”

“Oh.” Angel pulled her blanket up to her chin and rolled over in bed, closing her eyes.

Rhys leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, sighing with relief. “Good night.”

Angel chuckled and reached an arm out of her blanket to pat him on the back. “Good night, weirdo.”

Jack slid a hand across Rhys’ back and let it rest on his shoulder as they walked back to their room together.

“…You wanna talk about it?” Jack spoke quietly with his eyes fixed ahead of him.

Rhys shook his head. “No.”

\--

Rhys slowly opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. He propped himself up on his elbow and squinted across the room at his prosthetic arm, still mounted on its charging station. The status bar showed that it still wasn’t quite done yet. He sighed and pushed himself out of bed. His heavy feet dragged across the plush carpet of his bedroom and carried him down the steps. He heard the scrambling of paws as Lady ran up behind him and accompanied him.

“Well _good morning_ , sleepyhead!” Jack’s voice was _far_ too cheery for Rhys’ liking. He was sitting in the large armchair of their living room, smiling brightly and holding his arms out for Rhys to come over. Rhys trudged over to him and leaned down for a hug, but Jack grabbed him by the waist, spun him, and sat him down in his lap.

Rhys didn’t even try to complain. He simply buried his face in his husband’s chest and yawned.

“Long night?”

Rhys nodded.

Jack’s hand raked into his hair and massaged at his scalp. Rhys sighed at the feeling of blunt nails on his skin. He could faintly hear the sound of Angel gasping excitedly and fussing over Lady, who had joined her in the kitchen.

Jack’s head rested on top of Rhys’. “Do you remember the first night you spent here?” He spoke quietly.

Rhys thought for a moment, and shook his head.

“We’d gone to see a movie that ended up being longer than we thought. We came back here anyway because I promised you a home-cooked meal. By the time we were done, it was late and already dark out. So you came to bed with me.” Jack moved his hand to the back of Rhys’ neck and massaged his spine with his thumb. “You woke up in the middle of the night yelling about your dog. You had a dream your apartment building caught on fire with her inside, so you called your roommate. Woke him up and made him send you a video to prove she was alright.” Jack laughed and shook his head. “It was just a short video of Lady Dog stretching and yawning, but you must’ve watched it twenty times before you fell back asleep.”

Rhys hummed and closed his eyes. That _did_ sound familiar.

“A few days after you moved in, you woke up crying because you thought your dad called to tell you that your mom was in the hospital. Until you went through your recent calls and saw he hadn’t called you at all.”

Rhys frowned and looked up at Jack. “What’re you getting at?”

“Well, you started taking medicine to help you sleep better and you stopped having nightmares. Or you slept through them and forgot them, I don’t know.”

Rhys buried his face in Jack’s chest. _Oh._

“So last night, you fell asleep late. And you woke up in the middle of the night screaming Angel’s name and running to her room.”

“Right…” Rhys could see where this was going.

“…And _Harold_ , a well-known garbage-eater, can _not_ seem to tear himself away from his bed this morning.”

Rhys lifted his head and glanced across the room. The small, caramel-colored dog was, surely enough, still curled up in a tight ball in his fluffy bed by the fireplace.

“You twitch in your sleep, you know. _Nobody_ sleeps the way you were pretending to last night.”

Rhys huffed against Jack’s chest and shook his head.

“…Why did you do it?”

“I don’t really know.” Rhys bit his lip in thought. “I guess I figured it was unhealthy to depend on it.”

Jack raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. “Well, it’s up to you whether or not you want to use it. I was just… trying to help.”

Rhys nodded. “Thanks.”

Jack smiled at him softly. “You should probably get a little more rest.” He slipped his arms under Rhys’ body and stood, carrying him bridal-style across the room. “Tonight’s Family Night, and it’s Angel’s turn this week. She wants us to play laser tag.” He rolled his eyes. “So, be ready for _that_.” He held Rhys a few inches off the couch before dropping him and letting him bounce lightly against the cushions.

“Sounds fun.” Rhys grabbed a decorative pillow and nuzzled his head into it. Jack simply hummed in response before turning and walking away.

From the kitchen, Rhys could hear Angel’s music playing faintly while she made her breakfast. She was singing along happily, replacing all the pronouns in the song with Lady’s name. Rhys turned his head on the pillow and chuckled, letting his eyes slide shut slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, uh. this fic is getting a little difficult to keep writing. i think just because of the nature of the plot. i'll try to continue it because i am enjoying it, but don't be totally shocked if it gets canceled suddenly or if it gets an abrupt ending. the subject matter is just really sensitive and upsetting to me, you know? and i'm not even totally sure why i thought this would be a good idea, really. it's hard.
> 
> that being said, i really wanna thank everybody. i didn't think this would get as much attention as it has been, and i'm so so so happy people are enjoying it. all the kudos and comments mean the world to me. i love you guys.


	8. Look How Cute My Cat Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy crap, it's been 7 months.
> 
> also, i make myself sick.

Rhys licked some leftover pizza sauce from his finger before grasping for the remote on the bed beside him. There was nothing but crap on TV at this hour, but it distracted him from the fact that he was eating alone. Again. But Angel and her friends had claimed the downstairs living room, and he knew it was fruitless to even try asking Jack to eat in bed with him. He had work to do, as always, and Rhys didn’t really feel like listening to another lecture about how he was getting crumbs on the blankets or something.

Rhys’ thumb paused where it had been flicking through channels when a familiar image filled the screen. Some entertainment “news” show was starting, and the narrator was giving his overview of what was being covered tonight. His selfie with Timothy flashed on the screen quickly before being swiped away to the next image. He set the remote back down at his side and slowly chewed at the pizza in his mouth when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and balanced it in his clean hand. Speak of the devil…

_1 new message from Timothy_

Rhys took no action to hide his smile as he opened the message. It had a picture attached, of Mittens sitting on a carpeted floor with white fluff hanging from her mouth and looking up at the camera with big doe eyes. _‘this! where is she getting this?’_

Rhys almost choked on his food laughing. He took a big gulp of his drink before typing out a reply.

_‘Aw, she brought you a present!’_

_‘yeah, she keeps bringing me these presents’_

Before Rhys could even think of a response, his phone was buzzing again with another picture. It showed Mittens curled up in a pile of the fluff that had been formed into a small bed on Tim’s lap. He was resting a hand on her side and she was curled into his touch, looking satisfied and comfortable.

Rhys covered his mouth with his mechanical hand. Mittens was freaking _adorable_ all snuggled up like that, and she looked so small compared to Timothy’s rather large hands. His eyes flicked upward and he gasped into his hand when he realized Tim wasn’t wearing a shirt in the picture. He leaned forward to glance at the bedroom door nervously before reaching forward with his thumb and forefinger to zoom in slowly. He whined into his palm as he soaked in the image before him.

Tim was fucking _cut_. Not in a rock-hard, extreme way but in a subtle way that lets you know he at least cares. Rhys zoomed in more, as much as his phone would let him, and scrolled around the image to get a better look when he noticed a slight tint of red beneath his navel.

Was that…? No way.

Rhys swiped up on his phone screen to bring up the brightness menu and turned it up to get a better view, and there it was. Thick, light red hairs led from Timothy’s belly button to the waistband of his sweatpants.

He exited from the picture and let his thumb dance over the phone’s keyboard as the rest of his fingers tapped against the back of the device thoughtfully.

_‘Hey, here’s a weird question.’_

_‘yeah?’_ Timothy answered him almost immediately.

_‘So while you’re like “on the job,” you have to wear makeup, right?’_

_‘yes i do’_

_‘So do you have to change anything else about your appearance?’_

There was a brief pause here from Timothy. _‘what do you mean?’_

_‘Like, I don’t know. Do you have to dye your hair, for example?’_

_‘yes’_

Rhys bit his lip in thought for a moment. He should probably think up another question on that subject, before Tim got suspicious. His phone suddenly buzzed again.

_‘i’ll pretend i don’t know why u asked ;)’_

...Oh. Okay. Wait, was he flirting? Rhys eyed the winking emoticon for a second before sucking in a deep breath. Might as well test the waters, right?

_‘You did it on purpose. You could’ve zoomed in.’_

_‘ugh that sounds like so much work. also im insulted’_

_‘I’m sorry.’_ Rhys rubbed his eyebrows in confusion. So was Tim just messing with him before, or…? He felt his phone vibrate immediately, and was surprised with another picture message.

It showed Timothy lying on his back over the seat of a couch with Mittens resting on his shoulder. His arm was stretched way into the air, obviously trying to get as much of himself in the picture as he could. His pecs and abs were on full display, and Rhys was fairly sure he was flexing. The thumb of his free hand was tucked into the top of his sweatpants. _‘rhys look how cute my cat is’_

Rhys took a deep breath that came out rather shaky. Tim’s face in the picture had a knowing smile plastered across it, and Rhys’ heart skipped a beat while he tried to imagine him posing himself perfectly across the couch just to take a suggestive picture.

_‘…Damn.’_

_‘shes cute right?’_

Rhys chuckled for a moment. _‘Oh yeah, look at that. Mittens is in that picture too.’_

_‘omg rhys’_

Rhys sat up in bed, suddenly feeling much more confident. _‘So, do you work out?’_

_‘yes. ur hubby bought me a gym membership. said “make me look good” and that was that’_

Rhys rolled his eyes. _Of course_ he did.

_‘I mean, Jack doesn’t look like THAT.’_

_‘oh stop ur making me blush.’_ A brief pause. _‘im kidding keep going’_

_‘I’m just shocked, is all.’_ Rhys thought back to how strong Tim had felt in the parking lot weeks ago, when he helped him stand from the ground and when he’d placed his hands on Rhys’ hips. He remembered their recent car ride, when Timothy had lied on top of him in the back seat. He scrolled back up to the picture and enlarged it. Oh god, that body had been _on top of him_.

Rhys felt his jeans grow slightly crowded at the thought, and groaned in slight annoyance. The fact that something so small had caused such a reaction probably spoke _volumes_ about the current state of his sex life, but he tried not to think about that right now. He reached down to pull his zipper down, and let his hand slip inside to massage at the bulge in his underwear. Just a brief rub, he told himself. Because there was no way he was jerking off to pictures that amounted to softcore porn at best.

…Okay, but who was he kidding?

Rhys set his phone down beside him and leaned his head back, trying to think about something else. Something more arousing or more intimate. But his mind kept going back to Timothy’s body over his. The way he was so inviting, so passionate, and so-

His thoughts were suddenly cut short as the bedroom door slammed open, causing him to jump to a sitting position and pull his hand out of his pants. Jack walked in quickly, digging the heel of his palm into his left eye. The scowl across his face shifted to an amused smirk as he changed direction to stand near the bed.

“Oh my _god_ , Rhys!” he howled. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”

All the blood that wasn’t currently inflating his dick rushed to Rhys’ face. “No! N-no. What?”

Jack simply flashed him a knowing smile, staying in place until Rhys gave him an answer.

“…So, what happened to your eye?”

“I got pizza sauce in it.”

“Are you _serious_?” Rhys laughed. “How’d you manage that?”

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Jack argued sternly, but then held a finger up to him. “I’ll be right back.” He turned to head into their bathroom.

Rhys pulled out his phone and typed out a quick _‘I’ll be right back.’_ He switched text notifications to silent and set it back down just in time for Jack to walk back into the room, now wearing glasses.

“So what were you looking at, hm?” The bed dipped as Jack settled down beside him and turned to him. His left eye was slightly bloodshot and watering behind the lens.

Rhys couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Jack in his glasses. He usually either slept in his contacts, or kept them in right up until he got into bed. But it wasn’t always that way.

Jack used to change into his glasses every night, back when the two of them were still only dating. He would video call Rhys, and Rhys would run into the bedroom of his old apartment to sit in bed with his laptop and tell his new boyfriend all about his day. The glasses almost made their talks _more_ special. It was like he was getting to see a side of Jack that the rest of the world didn’t. And then, just before hanging up, Jack would always blow a kiss to his webcam and Rhys’ stupid heart would flutter _every_ damn time.

“Hello? Earth to Rhysie?” Jack snapped his fingers in Rhys’ face, pulling him out of his daydream.

“Hm?”

“What were you looking at?” Jack repeated slowly, smirk creeping back onto his face. “On your phone?”

“Oh!” Rhys chewed on his bottom lip. “…Nothing?”

Jack moved to straddle his husband’s lap and tilted his head playfully. He balanced his hands on either side of Rhys’ hips and leaned in until their faces were only inches apart. “Were you looking at porn?”

“N-no!” Rhys stammered nervously. He was met with a skeptical expression, and blushed deep red. “Are you mad?”

“Pfft, no!” Jack placed one of his palms squarely on the center of Rhys’ chest before dragging it down past his open jeans and roughly grasping at the bulge in his boxers.

Rhys gasped and hiked his hips up as much as he could while Jack was still sitting on him. Jack’s lips were suddenly on his neck just below his ear, and Rhys whined pathetically.

Jack pulled his mouth away with a large smacking sound and turned to talk in Rhys’ ear. “I don’t care where you get your appetite, as long as you bring it home for dinner.”

Rhys couldn’t help the laughing fit that bubbled out of him and bounced his shoulders. Jack’s grip on his member loosened and he sat back, raising his eyebrows.

“Jack, that is… the _lamest_ thing you’ve ever said.”

“What?” Jack swung his leg around, dismounting Rhys like a horse. “Screw you, I’m clever.”

“Okay, sure…” Rhys was momentarily distracted as his gaze was pulled back to the large television on the wall in front of them. The picture from earlier was back, and it faded into another picture somebody else at the concert had taken. It showed him leaning his head on Timothy’s chest with a big dopey smile stretched across his face, and Timothy resting on top of him. Jack grabbed the remote quickly to turn up the volume. The reporter was saying something about “chemistry” and “the way these two look at each other.”

Jack clicked his tongue, but his face was unreadable. He threw the remote back onto the mattress, causing it to bounce slightly, and turned to flash a bright smile at Rhys. It was the same type of smile he used in interviews and TV commercials.

“Remind me to give that kid a raise,” he mused. “Putting his face _that close_ to your greasy head, he _deserves it._ ” He spat out the last part before he lifted himself from the bed and strode out of the room without so much as a single look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so. basically i've been in a weird slump where i do nothing but sleep and months fly by without me even noticing and i don't feel like doing anything. i didn't mean for this to happen, but i'm trying to drag myself out of it. promise.
> 
> this is my most popular work on this site and i'm super proud of that, but unfortunately this is as far as i've actually planned. i gotta sit down and map everything else out before i can continue. i'll try to do that, but in the meantime i wanna throw some filler chapters in there too.
> 
> anyway, i can never get hyperlinks to work for some reason (i think i'm just a ditz), but i made a new tumblr account for all my writings and musings and inspo and whatnot and it's at skinpizzaparty.tumblr.com. it's a borderlands quote, get it? i'll try to be active on there and at least get a small bit of writing done like once a week hopefully, who knows.


	9. Lady Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just so you know, this chapter is totally skipable. nothing plot-related happens at all, it is 100% filler.
> 
> content warnings for animal attacks, animal abuse, and i guess child neglect. that should just about cover it.
> 
> unbeta-ed as always. let me know if anything needs fixed.

The door was barely open an inch before a long, black nose was shoving its way through, pulling it open even further. Jack’s leg shot out in front of himself, holding back the large, excited dog that was so desperately trying to get as close to him as she could. Her paws curled around his leg as she scooted slightly further, entire back half shaking back and forth with the force of her wagging tail.

“Hey, Rhys?” Jack called out as he planted his foot against her chest to cautiously push her away from himself.

“Just a second!” Rhys called from the kitchen.

Lady Dog dropped from Jack’s leg and sat on the floor. She poked at Jack’s thigh with her nose, sniffing him intently. Jack stilled and tried to wait it out, but she apparently had no intention of letting up as she sniffed all the way down to his knee before turning to inhale the fabric covering Jack’s other leg. Her tongue poked out to lick a small patch of his pant leg, and that was the final straw.

“ _Rhys!”_ Jack called out in a voice he knew his husband could not ignore. Rhys’ head suddenly poked around the doorway.

Jack nodded toward the dog and lifted his eyebrows, wordlessly communicating what he was sure Rhys already understood.

Rhys rolled his eyes and walked over to stand behind Lady Dog. He bent down and lifted her by her front paws so that she was standing on her hind legs. “She missed you so much!” Rhys cried out in an overly-affectionate tone as the dog’s tail swung back and forth between his knees. “She just wanted to say hi.” He wiggled his hand holding up her right paw so that she appeared to be waving.

Jack took a deep breath and turned to walk away. “Just keep her _away_ from me, alright?”

“…Yeah,” Rhys replied sullenly as he let Lady drop down to the floor. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

“I’ll be down.” Jack trudged up the steps and made his way to his home office, where he collapsed into his plush leather chair and exhaled dramatically. His eyes tried to focus on his computer screen, but everything was just so unbelievably fuzzy and it made his head hurt. He rested his elbows on either side of the keyboard and dropped his head into his hands with a low groan. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the lids in an attempt to clear his vision, but found himself struggling to pry them back open.

_Oh, screw it._ He fished his phone out of his pocket and set an alarm.

\--

Jack hopped off the school bus and jogged across the street, struggling as his heavy backpack weighed him down. He stepped onto the sidewalk and pulled the shoulder straps tight before he took off toward his home.

The screen door squeaked loudly as he pulled it shut behind him and stepped inside. He could hear his grandmother’s voice coming from the kitchen, and he peeked inside to see her folding clean laundry on the table, the wired telephone balanced between her shoulder and her ear. She either hadn’t heard Jack come in, or she didn’t care. Either way, he skipped past and made his way to the staircase.

_If she’s busy, I can probably get in a few minutes of playtime before I start homework_ , Jack thought to himself. _What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?_

But when he reached the top of the stairs, he felt his breath catch in his throat. His backpack slid off his shoulders and hit the ground with a thud. The door to his bedroom was wide open, even though he was _sure_ he’d pulled it shut this morning. He ran inside, heading straight for his toy collection that he had neatly displayed on top of his dresser. He scanned the figures quickly, mentally counting each one until his eyes landed on an empty spot in the display.

Jack swallowed hard as he remembered which toy was missing. His new superhero action figure that he had been so proud of. It stood about half an inch taller than the others and had moving limbs, and he had saved up for _weeks_ just to be able to afford it.

Jack tiptoed down the hallway to his grandmother’s room. From the doorway, he could see a long, brown tail sticking out from under her bed, slowly sliding back and forth along the floor. He gulped as he made his way to the bed and bent down to peek underneath. Just as he had suspected, his favorite toy was balanced between the dog’s paws as he gnawed on it, growling under his breath as Jack came closer.

Jack felt his top lip begin to quiver as he noticed how mangled his new toy already was from the dog’s chewing, but he took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself.

_You’re not going to cry,_ he told himself. _You are_ much _too old to be crying._ After all, he was six years old now. He had to use _both hands_ just to count his age, so he was definitely too old for that.

Jack got down onto his hands and knees and began to crawl under the bed. “Champion?” One of the dog’s pointed ears turned slightly at the sound of his name. “Can I have my toy back?” He crawled slower as he got closer, his heart suddenly pounding. Champion lifted his head, snarling as he watched Jack approach.

Jack’s eyes landed on the small doll balanced between the dog’s paws, and his spirits lifted slightly. It actually didn’t look _too_ bad. He could definitely still play with it! He reached out to grab the toy, but he never even got to touch it.

Before Jack knew what was happening, he was out from under the bed and lying on the floor beneath the dog. Champion balanced one of his big paws on Jack’s shoulder as he scratched and bit at the boy’s face.

Jack screamed. He pushed and kicked at the dog that stood above him, but it was no use. Sharp claws scratched at his left eye as teeth sunk into the bridge of his nose.

A pair of feet appeared on the floor next to Jack, and one suddenly connected with the dog’s side in a swift kick that sent him flying across the room. He landed on the floor with a crash and a yelp.

Jack watched as his grandma stomped across the room toward Champion. She snatched a hairbrush from her nightstand and brought it crashing down against the dog’s rear with enough force to break it in half. He ran out of the room, tail between his legs, only looking back once to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

Jack sat up from the floor slowly as his grandmother approached him. She knelt and brushed the boy’s hair from his face. Her thumb trailed over a spot near his forehead that caused him to jump, tears already welling in his eyes.

His grandma rolled her eyes and sighed. “You feeling all better?” She asked in her most patronizing tone. “You need me to get you a bottle?” She pinched Jack’s cheeks sarcastically.

Jack pushed her hands away. “I’m _not_ a baby!” he protested, wiping his nose on his arm.

“No? Then _stop_ crying like one.” She lifted him up and walked back to the hallway to pick up the basket of clothes she’d dropped. “And go get in the bath. You’re a mess.”

Jack slumped his shoulders and walked into the hallway. “Is… Is Champ going to be okay?” he asked quietly.

“Who the hell cares?” his grandmother replied, not even looking up.

Jack made his way into the bathroom and began to get undressed for his bath. He didn’t think he was _that_ dirty, really, but he knew better than to argue. He dumped his pile of clothes into the hamper, closed the drain, and turned on the water.

His grandmother stepped in just as he was settling down into the bathtub. “Stand up,” she commanded as she flipped the switch to open the drain and stuck a small pitcher beneath the faucet.

Jack rose to his feet and gasped as the pitcher of water was dumped over his head. He sputtered and looked down to keep the water out of his eyes and mouth. He bit down on his shaking lip as pink water slid down his body and ran down the drain.

\--

An alarm was suddenly blaring in Jack’s ear, and he groaned as his hands searched the desk for his phone. He inhaled slowly as he shut off the alarm and blinked his contacts back into place.

He stumbled out of his office and knocked on Angel’s door, pushing it open. “Ang?”

Angel turned in her desk chair and pulled out one of her earbuds. “Yeah?”

“Dinner time.” Jack turned his gaze to the large dog who was curled in a tight ball on his daughter’s bed, and grumbled under his breath. He practically stomped down the steps as he made his way toward the kitchen.

“Hey!” Rhys greeted him cheerily as he set plates on the table. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“Go get that dog out of Angel’s room.”

Rhys raised his eyebrows and let his jaw drop slightly. “Uh, can’t you do it? I’m busy,” he responded as he pulled open the silverware drawer. “Just tell her ‘off,’ she understands.”

Jack grit his teeth. “No.”

Rhys shook his head and mumbled something as he grabbed a handful of forks, spoons, and steak knives. He turned, dropped them into Jack’s hands, and walked away.

“I wish you would at least _pretend_ you don’t hate her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a lot of want to say, but i wanna start off by saying that 400+ kudos HAS to be some kind of mistake. geez, you guys, i don't deserve that.
> 
> also, thank you to everybody who left sweet comments and offered help. i promise i'm not ignoring you, i'm just awful at communication and i have no concept of time. but i definitely sobbed while reading those comments, oh my gosh.
> 
> and i need to get out of this slump but i'm an unmotivated jerk. if you wanna do me a favor, go yell at me at @thesourfruit or @skinpizzaparty on tumblr and tell me to stop playing zelda and write something for a change.
> 
> oh and disclaimer, i love dogs more than anything. i actually was cuddling with dogs as i wrote this.
> 
> i have no idea where this is going, so any ideas or help would be infinitely appreciated. also the plot has changed drastically from when i first started and i would change the title if it wasn't so old and if i wasn't so bad at titles.


End file.
